THE CHOP BOX JOURNEY

Ilearned early on the value of h a r d w o r k a n d i n d e p e n d e n c e Concurrently, I saw a father who was fully invested in his whitecollar career as a proofreader for one of Ghana's top publishing houses at the me. I'm the fih of six kids and I grew up in a big, loving family There was barely enough money between the two of them to get by. Korkor ice, as she was known to those in her supply chain (fishmongers, ice water vendors, bone shaker drivers, etc.), dealt in ice slabs at Accra's Salaga Market, as well as charcoal, grains, and other commodies. When she needed to find some of the stocks she traded, she would have to go far out into the countryside. Technology was far behind where we were at as a country, but she was fortunate enough to usehersister'slandlinewheneversheneededtogetin touch with any merchants or drivers. Whether my dad had been paid or not, my mom always made sure we hadfoodonthetable,helpedpayforschool,etc.

I picked up a lot of knowledge from observing her business pracces that has proven useful to me in my own ventures since then. I have a lot of stories to tell, but the two tasks I remember most certainly were collecng debts and distribung goods. I take heart from her toughness and enthusiasm for selfemployment because they give me faith that I, as well, can make it as an entrepreneur Even though she didn't see me begin this path, her pride in me has never wavered.

Once upon a me, when I was a student geng my first degree, I tagged along when Unilever Ghana Limited came to campus to talk to us Through the Naonal Service Secretariat and the Management Trainee Program, I was able to land a posion with such a Fortune 500 company in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector. Because of this, I got to learn about all aspects of customer development, from enhancing our sales team's abilies to expanding our clientele, product l i n e s , a n d c h a n n e l s o f distribuon in the modern and tradional markets of Ghana, South Africa (where I was sent on an internaonal assignment), Kenya, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast. Three years before leaving the corporate world, I imagined myself as a successful business owner My burning ambions are to leave a lasng impact, lower local unemployment rates, and empower local women by providing them with access tobeeremploymentopportunies.

Demanding and difficult, especially as a working mother and graduate student. As I prepared to return to work aer my maternity leave, I needed help from a caregiver, but more importantly, I needed the proper nutrious, affordable foods to wean my son off. Homemade Hausa Koko paste (a famous street food) was handed to me bymy aunt This was going to be our super brand someday. Again, I had an experience where my sister had to shop for my niece's school supplies I found myself wondering, "Can I get someone to do this for me and deliver it to her on campus without her packing and stressing to sele in to school?" This seemed like a good opportunity, and I figured there had to be others in a similar boat. Originally, Chopbox Express was a web-based convenience store aimed squarely at college students away from home. The plan was to introduce packaged convenience foods, local foods, etc., aer people becameaccustomedtoourservice.

With a plan in place beginning in August 2018, I set out to implement the changes I hoped to see in my life by the following August. On August 4, 2019, I received my first ever paying customer Finally, in December of 2019, I made the decision to quit my posion as the HeadofModernTradeatUnilevertofocusonChopbox Expressfullme.

In the week of COVID locked down in March 2020 in Ghana, we pivoted into convenience agro-foods targeted at working mothers seeking to offer healthier local breakfast, snack and soup-base delicacies prepared within a short cooking me to save the mother me to live beer This was because children were home and mothers were saddled with preparing quick healthier meal soluons as well as working from home. This season was the breakthrough for our convenience agro-foods. The product gained a lot of support from family and friends. Though we started without any branding, through word of mouth, we gained 2 new clients every week. My past professional experiences have allowed me to oversee the company's direcon, as well as its branding, quality, sales,andmarkenginiaves.

One of our differenators is the adopon of local catchy names which reminds people of the goodness of what they once enjoyed but for me – Toogbei, Pinkaso, Kunu, Hausa Koko etc. This is evidenced by the posive feedback we consistently get from customersandadvocatesofthelabel.

Though technology is expensive to many especially SMEs like myself, I have consciously worked with engineers and fabricators locally to customize 80% of ourequipment,whichtodayChopboxExpressnowhas

Hausa Koko producon line which ensures a sanitary end-result. For our portrait sessions, we even have a specializedphotostand(inplaceofaringlightstand).

We have leveraged on the use of simple ICT tools like the internet, our Chopbox Express website, as well as popular social media plaorms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twier, TicTok to drive our presenceandvisibility Inaddion,85%ofoursalesare mainly via social media and ecommerce plaorms. We support our bookkeeping with an app called OZE which has improved our invoicing system, sales and debt tracking. One key uniqueness with our products comes on the package. This is the QR-code which offers audiovisual instrucons on how to prepare each product. Regardlessof priorknowledgeinknowingthe food, this feature grants the Chopboxer the opportunity to try it first-hand just by watching and followingtheinstrucons.

Women make up 83% of our 6-person team aged between 25 and 45. Together we have over 30 years of professionalexperience.

In addion to my professional background, I come on board with 3years in food processing, degree in Foods and Nutrion, MBA in Business Administraon, 2 trainings on selected food processing cerfied by the Food & Research Instute and a Post Graduate Diploma cerficate in Agribusiness. Clement has a technical background and joins us with three years of machine operaon experience and four years of retail sales. Both Ruky and Vida have some trading experience despite their educaonal backgrounds (Ruky has a sixth-grade educaon and Vida has none). Accordingly, we adapted their training to help them perform their assigned dues. We have 2 part me ladies (students) we come in as and when the need arises. In addion, we collaborate with Challenges Ghana, a venture that supports SMEs with graduates on a 4month project to support SMEs aer an operaonal audit is conducted and idenfied gaps are agreed.

This granted Chopbox Express 3 graduates in the year to streamline our financial reporng, enhance presence on social media and this has been of immense benefit. Our zeal to empower the youth in ourcommunityispartofoursurvival.

With the right technological backing, the agro-food industry can offer a lot more possibilies. Flakes made from millet and fonio are just two examples of the modern alternaves (which are good substutes for cornflakes- imported). Flour from some of our root tubers can be a great replacement for wheat flour The Food Research Instute has the knowledge and tools to back up the industry. At Chopbox Express, we have tried and tested the use some of these and it presents same outcome in terms of the taste, texture and colour. We have entered the Swiss, Canadian, and U.S. market through a few select African shops in an effort to cater to the preferences of West Africans. There is a lot of room for growth, and the demand for regional specialesishuge.

Everything we do is driven by our desire to give the busy mom (The Chopboxer) a break by providing her with healthier, more accessible meal opons in her area so that she can feed her family and, most importantly,takecareofherself There'ssomethingfor everyone in our menu, from light breakfast opons to hearty soups. To that end, our formulaons aim to cut down cooking mes by as much as 70–90 percent. Chopbox Express takes the hassle out of mealme by providing a variety of opons in their boxed lunches. It's why we stock 4 disnct variees of Toogbei, 2 disnct variees of Pinkaso, Crunchy-Peanut and Cashew Buer, Pancake, and various spice levels in 2 disnctformatsofourbest-sellingHausaKoko.

Future

The vision of Chopbox Express is to meet the West African taste across the globe, hence required to have internaonal foods standards and recognion. This is expected to allow for ease of access to market and an opportunity scale-up to meet the potenal demand consistently As a Foods and Nutrion degree holder, healthier eang enthusiast, coupled with my skills in customer development and markeng, I believe I am equipped to build a great team, a big brand and leave an aspiraonal legacy The future will be brighter if our team is well equipped, trained and are able to provide for their family's livelihoods. I am commied to supporng a community that seeks the well-being and nutrionalinterestofitsgeneraon.

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